Sue Riedl/The Globe and Mail
It's not every day you just throw together homemade bread. But it could be. And to make these slightly sweet, dense yet tender loaves, you don't even need to have made bread before. Or even know that there is more than one kind of flour. You just need to know that in about 40 minutes you will be pulling some awesome-smelling miracles from your oven. This Irish Soda Bread recipe from my friend Connie is a go-to when I'm serving cheese, brunch (awesome warm with jam) or having a soup and salad.
Ingredients
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups buttermilk
Method
Preheat oven to 425 F. In a medium bowl combine flour, sugar, salt and baking soda. With a fork combine all the dry ingredients well. Make a well in the flour mixture and then add buttermilk. Combine using a spatula until a dough has formed. Put the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly to form a ball. Split in two and shape into individual oval-shaped loaves (they do not have to be perfect). Transfer to a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for 35 minutes. The loaf will sound hollow when you tap the bottom. Cool slightly before cutting. Devour.